Angiography with a contrast medium is performed for example in an X-ray CT apparatus, an MRI apparatus, and a US apparatus.
The angiography with a contrast medium with an X-ray CT apparatus is called CTA (Computed Tomography Angiography), and the angiography with a contrast medium with an MRI apparatus is called MRA (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Angiography).
As an application of the angiography, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for displaying an angiographic image in which a state of contrast medium injection is displayed time dependently. This method uses Digital Subtraction Angiography (hereinafter, referred to as “DSA”) to extract only the contrasted images of a blood vessel. DSA is a method to take images before and after the injection of a contrast medium and display a difference between the images. In the method for displaying angiographic images disclosed in the Patent Document 1, an image of a contrast medium which passes a certain cross section is acquired at predetermined periods of time by DSA, and the images of a contrast medium are arranged time dependently to display a time dependent transition of contrast medium images at the cross section. Since the images of a contrast medium display an amount of the contrast medium therein, a time dependent transition of the amount of the contrast medium at the cross section is provided.
However, in the above-described method for displaying angiographic images, the amount of a contrast medium at a cross section can be checked, but a special three-dimensional image of a contrasted blood vessel and the like cannot be displayed. [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-137552